Worth A Thousand Words
by Andixa
Summary: Keiko's uses a photography assignment to show another side of Team Urameshi. Short and lighthearted. Light Yusuke/Keiko and Hiei/Kurama.


Worth A Thousand Words

Andixa

Keiko's uses a photography assignment to show another side of Team Urameshi. Short and lighthearted. Light Yusuke/Keiko and Hiei/Kurama.

Disclaimer: Not my sandbox, I'm just playing in it.

Well, I haven't written anything in a while, except for some vicious and decidedly unfinished plot bunnies. This story is a few years old, but I'm just tired of editing and re-editing it. It's unapologetically cheesy. Why are all my stories so cheesy? ಠ_ಠ

- Keiko's POV -

Why, why, why did I sign up for this class. This is _soooo_ much worse than normal exams.

I've spent months taking photographs of my friends, in preparation for tonight. I even brought my camera to places that aren't even safe for normal _humans_, let alone expensive gadgets made of plastic and glass. In fact I made a pest out of myself following Yusuke's team around - taking candid shots, arranging posed portraits, experimenting with lighting, and (depending on the location) dodging the occasional demon attack. Then I had to sort through the huge stack of negatives, develop each picture myself, find some interesting way to arrange them. Now - _finally!_ - everything is framed and pinned up on the wall. Yusuke even woke up early to help.

"What was the theme for this project, Ms. Yukimura?"

I clear my throat. "My theme was 'eye of the beholder,' sir.'"

When he first heard that, Yusuke offered to hunt down a real Beholder demon for me. I think he was mostly joking.

"I tried to capture the way my subjects look to the rest of the world; that's the larger photograph on the left, there. And then on the right, you see, three smaller contrasting pictures in a more intimate setting. I wanted to show sides of them that are usually hidden or unnoticed."

"And your subjects… is that... that _hoodlum _Urameshi?"

"Yes sir. Yusuke is my- that is, he agreed to be one of my subjects for this assignment." I try to ignore that he's sitting only a few feet away. Yusuke, please don't make a scene, _please _don't make a scene. "The picture on the left is how he acts in class, how the other students and, um, the teachers see him. He... unfortunately he doesn't do very well with classes, sir. But he's very strong and determined, outside of school, and really a good person once you get to know him."

I snapped that particular picture the day after my first photography class, when I caught Yusuke sleeping in algebra, looking 'too cool for school' with his hair slicked back and feet propped up on a desk. Even though he looked hung over, I knew he'd been up all night hunting a demon for Koenma... this time, at least. That image was my inspiration for this entire project, and I paired it with pictures of Yusuke meditating, practicing with a wooden sword, and even all dressed up for our Valentine's Day date.

Mr. Himura studies the pictures of Yusuke for a moment- his eyebrows are raised _awfully _high - before moving on to the other sets. Oh _god_, what if he hates it? What was I _thinking_? He pauses at Kuwabara's pictures too, and jots down a few notes on his clipboard

Finally, he nods. "Well done, Keiko. Very well done. Quite an interesting exhibit. You can expect your grade on Monday."

And that's it; he moves on to the next student. Ok. That was a good nod, right? And he said 'well done,' right? Ok. Not going to fail. I think. I flop down into the chair next to Yusuke.

"Well, that's over with!"

He's looking 'too cool for school' again. "Ch'. I still think you should have used the one of me and that huge boulder."

"I was _trying _to avoid exposing any supernatural activity, thank you very much."

We watch our classmates wander around the exhibits for a while - mine has attracted mostly girls making goo-goo eyes at Kurama's pictures, although a few were admiring Yusuke as well. I can't help feeling smug: say what you want, but the boy definitely cleans up well… doesn't look half bad good covered in dirt, either.

Two shocks of red hair wander by, and I stand up, pulling Yuusuke with me.

"Kazuma, Shuichi, over here!"

People scatter as he lumbers over, but even Kuwabara's enthusiastic greeting can't scare off Kurama's fan club. The shorter redhead doesn't seem to notice the girls - but then again, he does stand on the other side of Kuwabara, effectively hiding himself from view.

"I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Of course, Keiko, Yusuke," Kurama smiled. "I'm excited to see this project you've been working so hard on, and I'm sure Kuwabara is as well."

"Yeah!" Kuwabara nods vigorously, even more awkward than usual. I wonder if it's the girls giggling behind him, or just being in an unfamiliar school after hours? "Anything for a friend! Oh yeah - 'sup, Urameshi."

"Kuwabara."

"Come on then, let me walk you through! I was getting bored just sitting here. I must have told you a hundred times already, but my theme was 'Eye of the Beholder' - and no, not like the demon. I know you all can't tell anyone about fighting demons and saving the world and all that, but it's a shame that no one knows how much you guys really do. I hope my project opens a few eyes about you all."

"That's very kind of you, Keiko. Although I assume you haven't opened any eyes to the more exotic of our extracurricular activities."

"Heh heh, yeah, you didn't use any pictures of my spirit sword or anything, right?"

"Relax, guys. Keiko had Shizuru check for anything too demon-y last night. I figure she's got to be the most normal out of all of us. Anyway, don't drool on Keiko's project, or mess it up or anything. I spent a lot of time setting it up."

Yusuke waves one hand dismissively, and wanders back to his seat. He nudges me playfully on the way - he won't say it, but I know he's secretly pleased that I chose his team, his friends, as the subject of my exhibit.

"Well, let's start at this end, then."

First on the wall is Genkai, looking properly ancient and wise at the gates of her temple. Kurama chuckles when he sees the smaller pictures: I caught the old lady waving a video game controller, tongue sticking out one corner of her mouth, as well as one of her insane balance poses (Yusuke grumbled a lot when he was hanging that one up) and a portrait of her younger self.

"Was this last one taken during the Dark Tournament, Keiko?"

"Yes, right at the beginning. It's from inside the arena... since her clothes are so traditional, and the building is made out of stone, everyone just assumes she lent me a picture from a long time ago when she was young. Actually, I had to get special permission to use it, since I couldn't have possibly taken it myself."

Yusuke's photos are next earning a few jabs from Kuwabara, and a few polite compliments from Kurama. They're his friends and often fight next to him (or with him!), so I guess his serious side isn't much of a surprise for them.

Kurama's set is third - we have to use Kuwabara's bulk to clear away the fan girls. For Kurama, I wanted my project to show that he was more than perfect polite Shuichi, but perhaps I should not have included that shirtless photo, or the close-up of one of his creepier smiles. (He seems almost canine when he smiles that way; you can totally believe he's fox spirit.) At least the third picture is unflattering: I'd surprised him early one morning in ugly pajamas, bedhead, with blotchy skin and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

Kurama just laughs.

"I see you've caught several interesting sides of me. I like this _much _better than the boring yearbook photo." That was the larger picture of course: Kurama in his pinkish school uniform, with shuttered eyes and a Mona Lisa smile.

"Ooh. Hey look, I'm next!" Kuwabara bellows, hopping awkwardly around Kurama's fans.

As a main picture I chose Kuwabara with his old gang, looking like thugs with slicked-back hair and dimwitted expressions. Out of all of our friends, Kuwabara is probably the most misunderstood... he's certainly no thug. I took special care with the other three photos, wanting to capture his brave and kind spirit.

"Aww, it's my kitty!"

That shot is from a few days after I started the assignment, when Kuwabara was still hamming it up for my camera. The kitten had fallen asleep on his shoulder, and he'd tiptoed over to me with a big dopey smile to get his picture taken. Next to that, I included a picture of him meditating, and one of him looking off into the distance on the temple porch.

"Wow, that's really me?"

"Yeah, you're not so bad, when you're not making faces that is."

"Aw, shucks."

"It helps you're facing away from the camera in that one, too!" Yusuke yells from the other end of the exhibit - damn that demon hearing of his. Kuwabara bristles.

"Why you-!"

"Kazuma, did you notice, I put Yukina's photos right next to yours!"

"Uh. Oh yeah!" Predictably, he pulls an about-face, losing interest in Yusuke. I can practically see the hearts popping up around his red face. "Isn't she wonderful?"

Yukina was a hard one to choose pictures for, since she is just about as sweet and innocent as she looks, and not really misunderstood like Yusuke and Kuwabara. But I certainly couldn't skip such a dear friend - so, after quite a bit of thought, I decided to illustrate her maturity and depth of character. Her larger picture is gorgeous, of course, with a big dimpled smile and impeccable kimono. Next to it is another smile, this one a bit wicked - and then a melancholy silhouette against a backdrop of snow.

The last of the smaller pictures is another one I'd taken at the Dark Tournament. Yukina's face is grim as she wraps an injury in white gauze... Hiei's burnt arm, if I remember correctly.

"This is wonderful, Keiko. She is so strong, despite everything she's been through." Kurama brushes a finger along the frame, straightening it every so slightly. "I can understand how easy it is to fall for someone like her."

"Yeah," Kuwabara sighs, lost in that dreamland of his, "she's perfect."

We leave the big sap behind at Yukina's pictures, and move on to admire the sets for Boton and Shizuru, which were arranged very much like Yukina's and Kurama's. It had taken me awhile to get anything interesting for Boton, since she kept hitting these outrageous poses for the camera. But I managed to get a few serious shots during the tournament... of course, at the time I didn't know why she was so upset. I also included an image of her in her traditional kimono, and one from that day she'd shown up with brown hair (we _still _haven't figured that out).

Shizuru's larger picture is her usual slight frown, unmemorable business-casual, and a cigarette in one hand. Since she's always so calm and serious, I did my best to get a shot of her laughing - she has such a cute smile! At some point I discovered she's a closet fashionista, and we spent a weekend getting the perfect "runway" photo to include in her set. The last picture captures her doting-sister side, straightening a very unkempt Kazuma's bow tie.

Kurama makes sure to give both girls as much time as the previous sets, complementing the composition and lighting of several shots. I had less to prove with Botan and Shizuru, and more experience with my camera by the time I got to them, so I was able to be more artistic and experimental.

The last set is Hiei - with him, I kept to candid photos only.

I'd thought about leaving him out altogether, because he dresses so strangely (and because I try not to tick off powerful demons who have tried to kill me in the past). Plus, the photos don't have the same impact unless you know what he's like - but they came out so well, almost as well as Yusuke's, in my opinion. In the end, Yusuke was the one to convince me to put it up on the wall with the others, insisting that the exhibit (like his team) wouldn't be completely without the cranky fire demon.

I couldn't very well have put up a picture of him with green skin, or on fire, or holding a bloody sword, so the larger picture is his typical crossed arms and churlish expression - exactly the response I'd gotten when I asked if I could take his picture. I was a little afraid to ask him at first (reasonably so, all things considered) but he'd just rolled his eyes and stood still for my camera. After that he mostly ignored me, letting me take photos whenever I liked. I even took one of him sunning himself on a porch railing at Genkai's, his face relaxed into a smile. As a matter of fact, he's smiling in all three smaller pictures: the porch shot, the soft curve of his lips for Yukina on her birthday (out of frame was his present: a mean-looking knife she absolutely adored) and a big, dimpled, slightly manic grin (also out of frame, his left hand burning with green fire). Honestly, I'd always pictured Hiei as this perpetually sullen figure, but you can see all sorts of lightning-fast emotions if you watch carefully - or catch them on film.

"These pictures are fantastic, Keiko, and I sincerely mean that -" Kurama's voice trails off, eyeing the last picture of Hiei. "Out of curiosity, when was this one taken?"

"Oh, you were there, training with the boys, don't you remember? You two were fighting, or playing some sort of game - I can never tell. I took two of your pictures that same day, and one of Yusuke."

"He was with me when you took this?" Kurama's expression is somewhere between 'trying to figure out a stubborn calculus equation' and 'about to sneeze'. It's not one of his better looks.

"Yes, you were standing next to him if I remember correctly. He's looking in your direction. See, there's your sleeve in the corner of the photo."

"So it is."

"Hiei looks handsome when he smiles. Do you think he minds that I took these pictures?"

"No, I doubt it. Your camera is still in one piece, after all." Kurama looks at that one photo for a while more, worrying his bottom lip - I've never seen him do that before. "Keiko, would you mind making copies of these pictures? All of them, of course. It would make a nice keepsake."

I blush - I'd like to think that it's because he admires my photography, and that I'm not acting like one of his fangirls.

"I'm glad you like the photos. Actually, I've already made up small albums for all of you, to say thank you for putting up with me. I'm afraid I left them at home, but if you don't mind staying for a little longer, I can get them after the show closes down."

"Please, don't go out of your way." He smiles all of a sudden, the canine edge twisting his Minamino Shuichi veneer. "You've already done so much. Excellent exhibit, Keiko, you've really outdone yourself. I'm sure you'll get top scores. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some air outside, but please let me know when you're ready to go. I'll take us all out to lunch as a thank-you."

After a nod and a quick glance at Kuwabara - still blocking the flow of traffic in front of Yukina's pictures - he neatly sidesteps a few girls and disappears into the crowd.

"Man, he's got it bad."

"Ah! What?"

Yuusuke is right behind me, tucking an unlit cigarette behind his ear - he hasn't had one since this morning, and I imagine he's feeling his addiction right now. He pulls one of Hiei's picture off the wall, the one that had so captured Kurama's attention.

"Yusuke!"

"Look!" He saunters down the rows, stopping next to an oblivious Kuwabara, and holds the demon's portrait up to his sister's. The red eyes and rounded faces are unmistakable - even their short noses and bowed lips match.

"Of course, that's why you said not to hang them side by side. But why -?"

"'I understand falling for _someone like her_,' isn't that what Kurama said? _Hellooo_. Anyway, look."

He continued down to Kurama's set, and holds the frame up again - a little below the one of Kurama smiling, at about the right height difference between the two demons. "They were next to each other when you took these pictures. Looking at each other. You can't train or fight with these two without noticing how they... look at each other."

"Look at- oh. Oh! You mean..." how can I put this delicately? "they... _look_... at each other?"

"_Exactly_. They're not sloppy like Kuwabara or anything" - the orange haired teen hears just enough of that to halfheartedly curse at Yusuke - "but it's like they're in their own little creepy demony world. And when one of them thinks the other isn't looking, whoo boy."

"Huh. I guess... I guess I can see it."

I take the frame from Yusuke's hands and study Hiei's face. He looks a little more, well, insane, or hungry or something, but then again he is a demon. I suppose there is something unusually… open_?_… in his expression. I glance up at the other picture, Kurama's canine grin. Wasn't he smiling like that just now, before he wandered off?

"Do you think...?"

"After seeing that picture? I'd bet my allowance Kurama will do something about it."

"You don't get an allowance, Yusuke. But he did look like the cat that got the canary, didn't he. Or the fox in the henhouse, I suppose."

"_Right?_ Then again, I'm kind of surprised he didn't do anything sooner. He's usually on top of this stuff. Me an' the old hag have this bet going..." Yusuke snorts and fiddles with his unlit cigarette. "Anyway, I'll be right outside, I'm just gonna-"

"Go, go, you've been here all morning. Be back at one to help me pack up."

I'm left holding a picture of a fire demon - apparently a _lovestruck _fire demon - so I put it back in its place on the wall. Maybe my photography opened a few more eyes than I expected - even mine.

Hiei and Kurama... yeah, I can see that.

"Huh. Neat."

End.

Review please! Feed the author!

So yeah, this got a little away from me in terms of A) describe ALL THE PICTURES!, and B) suddenly a Hiei/Kurama ending! Seriously, that was supposed to just a side note, but apparently Yusuke felt the need to elaborate.

This just sort of popped into my head while I was bored. But it was fun to write. I wanted to try out a bit of first person present tense too, so hopefully it wasn't all that awkward.


End file.
